Athena SWAN Bronze and Silver Department award renewal application

Name of institution: University of Nottingham

Date of application: 30th April 2012

Department: School of Psychology

Contact for application: Tony Stevens

Email: Telephone: 0115 951 5295

Departmental website address: www.nottingham.ac.uk/psychology

Date of previous award: 2008

Date of university Bronze and/or Silver SWAN award: 2009

Level of award applied for: Silver (renewal)

At the end of each section state the number of words used.

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1.  Letter of endorsement from the Head of Department – maximum 500 words.

Dear Committee,

Since becoming Head of School (HoS), I've had to accommodate many new university commitments. Consequently, I’ve have had to restrict the number of School Committees I serve on to only the most important. I currently Chair the School Management Group (SMG), the Learning Community Forum (LCF) and I sit on the Athena Self Assessment Committee (ASAC). This puts in context the value I place on the activities of ASAC and sends an important signal to all members of the School that gender-equality is a key issue. In support, Athena activities are now a standing item on the agenda of staff meetings, ensuring they receive the attention they deserve. I strongly believe that since our initial award we have made significant progress and remain committed to a working environment where the aspirations of our team flourish.

In 2011, the School hosted an important national networking event focused on career progression of women working in Psychology. The aim of this event was to provide a forum for women psychologists to discuss their experiences and to hear from four influential female academics about career paths they had taken in Psychology, the problems they encountered and the strategies they employed to overcome career obstacles. The event was given national prominence by the British Psychological Society and was very well received by all who attended from around the UK.

Women in Psychology face problems at two specific career points: transitioning from post-doctoral researchers to lectureships and moving from senior lecturer to professor. We have been proactive in both of these areas. First, we have supported the applications of a number of young women scientists for early career awards designed to foster academic independence, such as the Anne McLaren Fellowship Scheme, the Nottingham Advance Fellowships and the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Awards. Second, we host an early-career researcher forum to discuss particular difficulties faced by contract research staff. Both myself and the Director of Research have met with this group to offer our advice. Finally, we have been proactive in terms of promotion. As well as issuing a general invitation each year to staff to come and discuss promotion, I now approach female staff who I feel should be thinking about promotion in the near future. Since I have been HoS, the promotion committee (and all appointment committees) have included a member of ASAC. As a School, we have supported applications from women for promotion to lecturer, senior-lecturer and professor.

We celebrate the achievements of our staff by announcing significant awards at staff meetings, posting information on the School’s website and in our staff-student newsletter. I have nominated several members of staff for awards that celebrate women’s career’s (Drs Moran and Hamilton - WINSET; Dr Cragg – Vice Chancellor’s achievement award).

In conclusion, I would like to restate my personal commitment to developing a culture of fairness, flexibility, opportunity and respect in the School. I look forward to continuing to assist in the advancement of our new action plan.

494 words

2.  The self-assessment process – maximum 1000 words

[a] Description of self-assessment team

Nadja Heym is a Graduate Teaching Associate, who completed her undergraduate studies followed by a PhD here at Nottingham. She worked as a research coordinator on a European Framework 7 project for three years within the department, and is now contracted as GTA teaching social and developmental psychology to our undergraduate students. Nadja’s research focuses on individual differences in emotions, cognitions and behaviour. She is a member of the Ethics committee.

Paula Moran chairs the committee and is an Associate Professor and Reader. Her research group investigates the biological basis of schizophrenia and she teaches biological psychology. She is Non-clinical External affairs secretary for the British Association for Psychopharmacology [BAP] and sits on the scientific advisory panel for the European Collegium Neuropharmacologium [ECNP]. She is committed to mentoring young scientists and has set up a national mentoring scheme for early career scientists through BAP. She is married to an equally busy academic and has two teenage children.

Antonia Hamilton is Associate Professor (promoted 2012) and leads a research group examining the brain and cognitive basis of nonverbal social interaction. She has two children under 5 and works full time.

Paul McGraw is the Allen Standen Professor of Visual Neuroscience and is currently Head of School. He teaches in the area of sensory perception and his research is focused on understanding visual cortical plasticity and the mechanisms that underpin human spatial vision. Paul is actively committed to improving the working environment for all members of staff in the School. Paul is married with one child.

Danielle Ropar is an Associate Professor in the department studying perceptual and social cognition in individuals with and without Autism. She is Associate Editor of the Journal Infant and Child Development. Her administrative duties have included leading the undergraduate admissions team and her research group currently consists of 4 PhD students. Danielle works full-time, has two children, and returned from her most recent maternity leave in 2009.

Victor Cipko is School manager (since 2001) with responsibility for the financial affairs of the school and is line manager for the schools administration and support staff team. Victor is married with a daughter studying medicine at University.

Alexa Spence is a full time post doctoral research fellow. She is the Research Only Staff Group representative for Psychology, helping to ensure that research staff needs are met by the university and that staff have good access to potential further career and training opportunities. Currently she is on maternity leave with her first child.

Jonathan Stirk is a lecturer and the Director of Teaching for the School. He is responsible for the allocation of teaching and administrative loads within the School and is the Chair of the Teaching & Learning Committee. His research interests include attention, emotion & the psychology of faces.

Claire O’Malley is Professor of Learning Science (promoted in 2004) and works full-time. She was Dean of the Graduate School at Nottingham 2008-2011. As the only female Professor in the School, she is passionate about supporting the career development of women, especially into senior roles.

507 words


[b] An account of the self-assessment process, with reference to year-on-year activities since the original Department award application, details of the self assessment team meetings including any consultation with staff or individuals inside or outside of the university and how these have fed into the submission. A permanent Athena SWAN Assessment Committee (ASAC) group was formed in 2007. The committee was designed to include key decision makers of the School in ex-officio roles (Head of School, Head of Teaching) and now includes the Psychology representative of the University WINSET group and the University WINSET officer. We have maintained this composition and found it highly effective for decision making and implementation of policy changes. We have had two changes of Head of School since our silver submission in 2008 and each incumbent Head of School was briefed explicitly by the chair of the ASAC about Athena and how they would be expected to support its aims.. As one of the few Psychology Silver award holders we have been consulted by schools from within and outside the University. In the 2008 submission our workload model was commended by Athena, and we have presented this to other University Departments and have fed it into a University-wide workload model. Items from our ASAC agenda also are fed to University WINSET committee - a recent example is that one of our members raised the issue of parking payment during Keeping in Touch days: women no longer have to pay. We have also raised the longer term issue of the University’s maternity pay and benefits - currently under consideration by Human Resources and University management. All schools in the University are undergoing long term strategic reviews and ASAC is actively involved.

239 words

[c]Plans for the future of the self assessment team, such as how often the team will continue to meet, any reporting mechanisms and in particular how the self assessment team intends to monitor implementation of the action plan.

We are pleased with the composition of the ASAC as it has been effective. We now include more early career researchers than in 2008. We intend to expand numbers of PhD students and for the first time include undergraduates on the committee. We intend to have open and closed sections of the agenda to overcome potential problems with discussion of sensitive staff issues such as promotions etc. We have also invited two additional male members of staff to sit on ASAC who have agreed. The role of chair of the ASAC is officially counted into the School workload model and it Athena issues are a standing item on our staff meeting agenda [the first formal change to the format of this meeting in the past seven years]. Staff meeting minutes are reported through to University management so represents the most direct and highest level reporting route available for the University. We have formal meetings twice a year with additional work done in school committees and general issues brought to WINSET meetings held every semester. There is in addition considerable informal consultation by school members with members of the committee (in particular the chair) about a range of issues related to gender equality such that much of the ASAC work in now conducted outside formal meetings and embedded in the School structure.

221 words

3.  A picture of the department – maximum 2000 words

a)  Provide a pen-picture of the department to set the context for the application, outlining in particular any significant changes since the original award.

b)  Provide data and a short analysis for at least the last three years for Bronze or the last five years for Silver (where possible with clearly labelled graphical illustrations) on the following, commenting on changes and progress made against the original action plan and application, and initiatives intended for the action plan going forward.

[a] The School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham is one of the most popular in the country amongst undergraduate students, ranked 5th amongst all Psychology departments and 2nd amongst the Russell group Psychology departments in terms of applications (HESA 2010/11). It is unique amongst UK Psychology departments in having a presence at the University of Nottingham Malaysia campus, where students study the same syllabus as their UK counterparts and receive University of Nottingham degrees. It is a medium-sized department, with around 45 academic staff, 28 research associates and fellows, and 46 PhD students conducting research across a broad range of topics, including cognition and cognitive neuroscience, behavioural neuroscience, social and developmental psychology. The School also has strengths in applied psychology, including both teaching and research in health, forensic and educational psychology. In addition to the PhD programme, a further 37 students are enrolled on the research Doctorate in Applied Educational Psychology. The School was ranked 17th in terms of research quality in RAE 2008 (11th in terms of research power) and 18th in the UK in the National Student Survey (in terms of overall satisfaction).

We have a very low turnover, which is mostly accounted for by short term contract research staff. Most staff are at Associate Professor level (19), similar numbers at lecturer level (18), and relatively few at Professorial level (8). Although the number of staff at Professorial level is small, it is similar to numbers in comparable Russell Group Psychology departments. Overall the School has nearly twice as many male staff as female, with the largest ratio being at Professorial level. Encouragingly, the ratio of males to females at Associate Professor level is much more favourable, nearly 50%. This means that the School needs to be particularly proactive in supporting the promotion of women to the most senior level.

Student data

(i) Numbers of males & females on access or foundation courses

None

(ii) Undergraduate male and female numbers and degree classifications – full and part time

The female:male ratio in our undergraduate body is high (83% female) but consistent with the national picture for Psychology (~81% female) and hasn’t changed between 2007/8 and 2011/12.

Figure 1. Undergraduate male and female numbers – full and part-time.

In terms of undergraduate degree classifications, there has been some fluctuation over the period 2007-2011, but on average 20% of females achieve a first and 69% a 2.1, compared with 15% males achieving a first and 61% a 2.1.

Figure 2. Undergraduate degree classification by gender – females.

Figure 3. Undergraduate degree classification by gender – males.

(iii) Postgraduate male and female numbers on and completing taught courses – full and part time

The female:male ratio on postgraduate taught courses is similar, with an average of 76% female over the years 2007/8 to 2011/12, in line with the national picture (~78% female). There have been minor fluctuations year on year over this period, ranging from 64% to 82% female. The most significant change has been a 50% drop in females between 2010/11 and 2011/12. The vast majority of both full and part-time students have completed their studies successfully.

Figure 4. Postgraduate male and female numbers on taught courses – full and part time

(iv) Postgraduate male and female numbers on research degrees and completion times – full and part time

The female:male ratio on research degree programmes is similar, with an average of 70% female over the years 2007/8 to 2011/12, in line with the national picture (~73% female). There have been minor fluctuations year on year over this period, ranging from 67% to 74% female. Almost all PhD students complete within 4 years (around 93%), irrespective of gender.